Vehicle telematics systems provide advanced interaction and communication capabilities in the vehicles. They are one of a class of advanced computer-based technologies that have recently been added to vehicles to improve the driving experience. These systems, both the telematics systems and other systems, are commonly comprised of a variety of software, hardware and/or firmware. Like many other computing systems, the software and/or firmware may occasionally be updated to improve functionality and operability.
These updates can come in the form of user-implemented updates, which are done via a local network or through the insertion of a memory stick into the vehicle. Dealers may also update the modules when the vehicle is brought in for servicing. In other cases, over the air (OTA) updates may be used to update the vehicle. Typically, when an update is performed via the OTA updates, the backend system that generates updates for the vehicle will know that the update was processed, as part of the OTA update process. But, if a user implements an update, or if a dealer implements an update, there may not be a remote record of the update that the backend system can access. Then, when the backend system creates an update for the vehicle, the update may be based on bad information relating to a current configuration of the vehicle's software and/or firmware.
U.S. Patent Application 2012/0126963 generally relates to systems and methods for occupant reporting of a vehicle issue over-the-air from within a vehicle include a cellular device in the vehicle that establishes a connection with a cellular network. A user interface includes a display that provides occupant selectable menu options for reporting a vehicle issue. A processing system generates issue data based on a selected menu option. The issue data is selectably provided to one or more issue receiving servers including a first issue receiving server associated with a first organization and a second issue receiving server associated with a second, different organization using the cellular network.
U.S. Patent Application 2013/0204466 generally relates to a microprocessor executable remote control module operable to receive, via a remote node, a command from a vehicle owner to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of a selected vehicle component and, when the vehicle owner is authenticated successfully by the remote control module, to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of the selected vehicle component.